Defuse Russia’s energy weapon

The recent “gas war” between Ukraine and Russia was viewed by too many in Europe and in America as a short-term crisis that raised questions about Russia’s reliability as a stable supplier of energy. It’s time the West ended its complacency regarding Russia’s willingness to use its considerable energy resources for political blackmail.

Moscow’s deployment of the “energy weapon” dates from 1990, when it cut energy supplies to the Baltic countries in a futile attempt to stifle their independence movements. It was again used against the Baltic states in 1992, in retaliation for demands that Russia remove its remaining military forces.